Ochobamba is a name that hardly makes any sense to most Japanese people, but is feared by the locals of Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. It refers to an old stele standing in a corner of the neighborhood of Enzo, which is believed to hold a powerful curse.
Originally, the stele was fenced off in a small plot between houses, a bizarre sight that spawned supernatural rumors, but it was later moved to another spot nearby, now standing in the grounds of a small Buddhist temple with a cemetery.
According to popular folklore, the “cursed stone” is filled with vengeance and would bring bad luck and even death to those who are insolent enough to touch it with their bare hands. Fascinatingly, however, the original story of “Ochobamba” is nothing quite like the urban legend.
Ochobamba, as people once referred to a local old woman (bamba) named O-Chiyo as, was a devout Buddhist who once prayed to the gods and cured cholera during the 1822 outbreak – which is historically inaccurate as the epidemic did not yet reach the area – becoming a known healer.
As it happened, Lord Matsudaira of Oki Province was on his way home from Edo (Tokyo) when he was struck by the Korori, a fearful monster embodying cholera, along with many dozens of his men. One of them, who had heard rumors about Ochobamba, fetched her and asked her to cure the lord.
Having successfully treated Matsudaira, the old woman was rewarded handsomely and was given a special grave when she passed away without any heirs or relatives. The stone survived the test of time, but with its story half-lost over the years, came to be known as a cursed object that brings about bad luck and perhaps cholera itself.
